Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Selection Search VS Google Custom Search

Compare Selection Search VS Google Custom Search and see what are their differences

Selection Search logo Selection Search

With this extension you can easily search for text you have selected.

Google Custom Search logo Google Custom Search

Google Custom Search enables you to create a search engine for your website, your blog, or a collection of websites.
  • Selection Search Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-03
  • Google Custom Search Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-10

Selection Search features and specs

  • Enhanced Productivity
    Selection Search allows users to quickly search selected text without copying and pasting, thus saving time and increasing productivity.
  • Customizability
    The tool provides customizable search engines, allowing users to add or modify search engines to personalize their search experience.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    Selection Search offers an intuitive and straightforward interface which makes it easy for users of all technical levels to use effectively.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source, Selection Search allows users to view, modify, and contribute to its codebase, fostering community involvement and transparency.
  • Multi-Browser Support
    The extension supports multiple browsers including Chrome and Firefox, making it accessible to a broad user base.

Possible disadvantages of Selection Search

  • Limited Default Features
    The default features might be more limited compared to other commercial search extensions, requiring users to configure additional settings for optimal use.
  • Compatibility Issues
    As with many browser extensions, there is a potential for compatibility issues with certain websites or newer browser versions.
  • Dependency on Browsers
    Since it is a browser extension, its functionality is confined to the browser environment, limiting its use outside of web applications.
  • Learning Curve
    For users unfamiliar with browser extensions or customization options, there might be a slight learning curve to effectively utilize the extension's features.
  • Security Concerns
    As with any browser extension, there is always a potential risk of security vulnerabilities, which might concern users who are cautious about their data privacy.

Google Custom Search features and specs

  • Ease of Integration
    Google Custom Search is straightforward to integrate into websites and applications, offering a user-friendly setup process with comprehensive documentation and support.
  • Advanced Search Capabilities
    It leverages Google's powerful search algorithms, providing fast, accurate, and relevant search results, benefiting from features like synonyms and advanced language understanding.
  • Customization Options
    Users can customize the search experience to match their website's look and feel, including adjusting the search box, results display, and controlling which sites are indexed.
  • Cost-Effective
    Offers a free tier with sufficient features for small to medium websites and relatively affordable paid plans for larger sites and custom needs.
  • Monetization via AdSense
    Integrates with Google AdSense, allowing website owners to generate revenue through ads displayed alongside search results.
  • Automatic Updates
    Automatically updates search indices, ensuring that the search results are always current without requiring manual input or intervention.

Possible disadvantages of Google Custom Search

  • Ad Inclusions in Free Tier
    The free version of Google Custom Search includes ads in the search results, which might be undesirable for some websites or users.
  • Limited Customization in Free Version
    The free tier has limited customization options compared to the paid versions, which might restrict certain advanced features or modifications.
  • Dependency on Google’s Ecosystem
    Relying on Google Custom Search means relying on Google’s ecosystem, which could be a risk if there are future policy changes or if the service is discontinued.
  • Data Privacy Concerns
    Some organizations might have concerns about data privacy and control, as the search data is processed and stored by Google.
  • Keyword Restrictions
    Certain keywords and search terms might be restricted or censored, limiting the scope of searchable content based on Google's policies.
  • Cost for Advanced Features
    Access to advanced features and higher query limits requires a paid subscription, which could be a significant expense for large-scale or heavily trafficked websites.

Analysis of Google Custom Search

Overall verdict

  • Google Custom Search is considered to be a robust and effective tool for individuals or organizations needing a customizable search solution. Its ability to integrate with various platforms and provide analytics makes it a valuable asset for managing and enhancing user search experiences.

Why this product is good

  • Google Custom Search allows users to create a tailored search experience by focusing on specific websites or sections of websites, providing control over search results and prioritizing content that's most relevant to their audience.

Recommended for

  • Website owners looking to improve site search functionality
  • Developers needing to integrate precise search capabilities into applications
  • Businesses and educational institutions aiming for targeted content discovery
  • Content creators wanting to highlight specific resources in searches

Selection Search videos

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Google Custom Search videos

Create a Google Custom Search Engine To Monetize Your Site

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Selection Search and Google Custom Search)
Internet Search
100 100%
0% 0
Custom Search Engine
0 0%
100% 100
Web Search
100 100%
0% 0
Search Engine
25 25%
75% 75

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Google Custom Search seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 7 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Selection Search mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Selection Search yet. Tracking of Selection Search recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Google Custom Search mentions (7)

  • Creating your own federated microblog
    Google offers Programmable Search Engine [0], a service where you can create site-specific search box. That's probably good enough for most small personal websites. [0] https://developers.google.com/custom-search/. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Is there a way to search keywords faster?
    Google's programmable search engine comes to mind: https://developers.google.com/custom-search/. Source: over 2 years ago
  • How important are Google search operators/ Google dorks compared to other tools?
    Dorking is not only a very useful technique to find not-indexed results and unvoluntarly exposed content, it it also helps to improve beginner's analyst mindset. You can take it as an introduction to basic query language. What I can strongly suggest is to test your skills by creating your own google custom search engine (https://developers.google.com/custom-search/) that will faciltate your onlime search by... Source: over 2 years ago
  • Brave Search passes 2.5B queries in its first year
    It looks like is targeted towards website owners and not the general public. https://developers.google.com/custom-search. - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Google-clone - Google Search Clone Built Using React/Next js And Tailwind CSS
    A functional replica of Google's search page, you can use it for searches. Styled with Tailwind CSS to Rapidly build and look as close as possible to current google search page, the search results are pulled using Googles Programmable Search Engine and it was build using Next.js the react framework. - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Selection Search and Google Custom Search, you can also consider the following products

Swift Selection Search - Swiftly access your search engines in a popup panel when you select text in a webpage.

Algolia - Algolia's Search API makes it easy to deliver a great search experience in your apps & websites. Algolia Search provides hosted full-text, numerical, faceted and geolocalized search.

Trufflepiggy - Context Search - The context menu search for all of us: quick, easy & customizable. Best in class group-search: find on multiple sites at once! Supports favicons (Firefox), omnibox & cross browser sync. Select from 1000+ user generated searches or add your own.

Site Search 360 - Site Search 360 enhances and improves your built-in CMS or product search with autocompletion, semantic search, filters, facets, detailed analytics, and a whole lot of customization options.

SearchJumper - Assist with the seamless transition between any search engine, providing the ability to swiftly navigate to any platform and conduct searches effortlessly. it allows for the selection of text, images, or links to be searched on any search engine.

ElasticSearch - Elasticsearch is an open source, distributed, RESTful search engine.